The Windows 10 Anniversary update has brought new accessibility, security and power-efficiency features to Microsoft Edge, making native Windows browsing far more pleasant than it used to be in the glitchy Internet Explorer era. However, if you’re new to Edge, you might find your first experience to be a bit frustrating, especially when trying to change the default Downloads folder or reinstalling the browser after an issue.
Here are some useful tips and tricks for getting the most out of your Microsoft Edge experience.
How to change download folder
By default, Edge stores all new files in the Downloads folder. If you want to change it to a folder of your preference, try the following workaround:
- Use the Win+R combination, type “regedit” in the search bar and click OK. This will open the Registry Editor.
- Find the User Shell Folders folder in the editor, and then navigate to the file with the value data of %USERPROFILE%\Downloads.
- Change the value data to the folder path of your choice => C:\Example, where “Example” is the name of the folder.
- If you’d like your files to be downloaded to desktop, simply change the value data to %USERPROFILE%\Desktop.
How to disable cookies, block pop-ups, and disable Flash
- At the top right corner of the Edge browser click More, and then go to Settings > View Advanced Settings.
- Here, under the Cookies headline, you can choose to either Block all cookies, Block only third party cookies, or enable cookies.
- Move the slider to turn on the Block pop-ups feature.
- Turn off flash under the Use Adobe Flash Player headline.
How to reinstall Microsoft Edge
There’s a number of workarounds to reinstall the browser that vary slightly, but here’s one of the best manuals that really works.
By the way, have you managed to get ahold of the Windows 10 free upgrade? If you haven’t, there’s still a chance to upgrade from Microsoft’s accessibility page without spending a cent. Need to update your clients’ machines to Windows 10 remotely? Watch our demo video and learn how to do that without any hassle: